We roasted ours over one of the coal forges at school, so cast iron
worked out well. Harolds right though, if you're using a torch,
stainless seems a better choice. It would also be easier to clean all
the dust out of it.

Paul K. Dickman

On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 10:50:27 -0700, "Harold and Susan Vordos"
wrote:


"Jon Elson" wrote in message
servers.com...
wrote:
snip-----

Well, I use a Buechner funnel and vacuum filtration setup, so the
precipitate is evenly covering the filter.
Then, when you collect enough filters, get a clean castiron frying pan
with a lid, put the filters into it and roast it until the filters
turn to ash. A little salt peter helps consume the paper.

Great! Harold Vordos recommended the same thing.

Thanks much,

Jon

But not a cast iron pan. Takes too much energy to get it hot enough to be
useful, and you risk cracking it with a torch when you apply it to the
bottom. I recommend old stainless pans for such use, or just plain steel,
which doesn't last as long, and contributes oxidized iron to the results.
No big deal if you're going to refine properly, anyway. Used them for
more than 20 years with good results. By burning filters until they're
carbon, you can raise the temperature high enough to ignite the carbon by
playing a torch on the bottom of the pan. It takes very little time to do
it. I used to use a large Hoke torch, sort of a rose bud, for lack of
better description.

Harold